There are many impersonators, but Concept2 RowErgs are the original – and for many the gold standard – indoor rowing machine. It all started in the early 1970s with brothers Dick and Pete Dreissigacker, a bike wheel, and engineering experiments in a barn in Vermont.

Dick and Pete know their machines, and rowing, inside and out so we called up Dick to talk about how foot stretcher set up can help both new and seasoned rowers.

And because we were really geeking out on erg set up 101, we enlisted Will Ruth, the Green Racing Project Strength Coach and Sculling Camp Coordinator at Craftsbury.

Dick and Will help us consider heel height, seat pads, horizontal drive, and finding comfort on the erg.

QUICK LOOK

00:00 - Episode lead-in 01:05 - Dick Dreissigacker on erg foot stretcher set up considerations and compromises 06:07 - Seat pads 06:59 - Clip in shoes, raising your heels, and that pair of erging shoes you just can’t give up on 09:45 - Heels up or heels down at the catch? 14:36 - Part 2: Will Ruth on setting up the erg for comfort 18:27 - Setting up heel heights for rowers with leg length discrepancies, or significant differences in left/right shoe sizes 19:38 - How adjusting the foot stretcher height effects the stroke 21:18 - Modifying the horizontal seat to heel relationship by using a seat pad - on the erg vs in a boat 22:47 - Rigging solution choices for club boats 25:48 - Foam heel inserts for rowers with small feet 26:37 - Horizontal forces can be good as long as they don’t compromise something else 28:05 - SSN events and initiatives

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To see photos of Dick and Will, and get links to the people and resources mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.

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This episode was made possible in part by Live2Row Studios, Breakwater Realty, RowSource, and our Patrons.

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Steady State Podcast is written, produced, hosted, and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering and is our sponsor coordinator. Rachel manages the website, social media, and e-newsletter. Our theme music is by Jonas Hipper.